Iowa Senators Want GIPSA Policy Riders Gone

DES MOINES, Iowa – Thirteen Senators including both Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin, signed a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee asking for the elimination of policy riders on the funding bill for USDA regarding livestock and poultry marketing rules.

The first week of September, DTN Progressive Farmer reported that legislative riders are an attempt to go around the House funding bill for USDA.

The house funding bill blocks the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) from finalizing livestock and poultry marketing rules stemming from the 2008 Farm Bill.

The Senators wrote, “The legislative rider is attempting to thwart rules that, in part, allow farmers to request documents showing them how their pay is calculated, ensures that they are given adequate notice of a halt in animal deliveries, and ensure they can exercise their right to speak with their congressional representatives without fear of retaliation.”

Other Senators on the letter include: Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Jon Tester and John Walsh of Montana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, John Rockefeller and Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.